Today we’d like to introduce you to Kristen Kolb
Hi Kristen , can you start by introducing yourself? We’d love to learn more about how you got to where you are today?
My husband Seth and I and our 3 kids dove into the wild adventure of being a Foster Family in 2017. We had the opportunity to welcome in 6 different infants into our home for varying lengths of time. We began to see parents with new eyes. We met parents who loved their children deeply but had found themselves entrenched in the hopelessness of generational cycles of trauma and addiction with no model of how to get out of it. I began percolating what it would look like for us to zero in on the needs of families in our area, leverage community resources and show up to begin breaking down generational cycles.
I spent many hours talking with parents, stake holders, foster parents, local attorneys, Judges, Court Appointed Special Advocates, and anyone who would share insights to barriers and solutions. Our child welfare system in Texas has been under fire for many years but the head scratching part is we have a wealth of passionate, caring people and brilliant innovative minds. We can advocate for children and families WELL!
We scoured the country for anyone doing direct work with Biological parents. We saw a need to equip them with new skills, bolster them with new healthy parenting and coping strategies, and help them build community for support and sustainability. I found a handful of programs but few were providing full wrap around services to families in need. I felt compelled that without recognizing their own inherent value and addressing their own childhood trauma parents would not have the capacity to learn the new skills needed to parent appropriately.
In 2022, with great joy and a whole lot of trepidation we applied for our Non-Profit status and haven’t looked back. In December of 2023, we moved into our Community Connection space and in January of this year we swung open the doors of our Center to Plano and the surrounding DFW area. Our Connection Center offers Visitation Monitoring and Coaching, Trauma Counseling, Family Life Activities and Mentors. Instead of visiting in a setting not always conducive to healing and bonding our families enter into a Home-like space that is safe and comfortable but gushes tough love. Parents are vetted and sign a commitment contract to do the hard work of restoration. Reunification isn’t always the end result…the legal team and ultimately the Judge makes that decision….but our team gets to walk through the restoration work and see as hope begins to trickle in and resonate in a person who thought all hope was lost. The pride of breaking a generational cycle run deep for our parents. In addition to working with families with active cases in the Foster care system we offer supports for at risk families and we offer Post- Adoptive and Post- Reunification support for sustainability.
My career in Speech Language Pathology and my role as a Foster Mom prepared me professionally for my role at Hope Spring Community. My faith in Jesus Christ is what has allowed me to have eyes to see the hurting and to see that there is true HOPE to be found. Hope that springs up like a new plant from dry, broken land after a long cold winter…it hardly seems possible something so beautiful could come from something that seemed so broken. For years I have pondered the unauthored quote “No matter how long the Winter, Spring is sure to follow”. At Hope Spring Community we meet families in their darkest Winter and our team ushers them into a new Spring.
Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
The road has been marked by mountains and valleys. There have been many times that felt like we were facing a resistance force. Connecting with funders who feel passionate about investing in something new and innovative for our dysfunctional system has been a challenge. While we did our research and built something that is already yielding great impact, we know it takes time to become an established and trusted resource in the community. At the same time we have faced overwhelming support in our judiciary system and throughout our community. Showing up and having a standard of excellence has built bridges we thought might take years to build. We are so grateful.
Thanks – so what else should our readers know about your work and what you’re currently focused on?
I am most proud of the team I have built. Seeing people’s gifts and talents and watching them find their sweet spot has brought me great joy. Our team had to be made up of people with lived experience in the field, and no lack of great passion and compassion. I have found one of the most needed traits in a non-profit launch setting is the ability to pivot. Myself along with my team have been in the trenches of polishing our pivots!
What sets our team and model apart is our model of collaboration. I believe that every family member and professional on every case brings something to the table. I believe that when we meet at the table and share our voices we can leverage our gifts and find a common purpose resulting in progress towards restoration.
We are a non-profit and we are funded by the generosity of individuals, Foundations, and Grants. For those interested in partnering with us to spur on family restoration and helping families to break generational cycles of trauma can visit www.hopespringcommunity.org/give
What were you like growing up?
As a child I was energetic and had a love for people. I was on a mission to connect with friends and much to my mom’s chagrin may have been guilty of accidentally double-booking play dates to avoid the risk of having no one to spend time with. My dad was a pastor when I was young and I worked to be his plus one to every wedding, funeral and baby shower. I learned at a young age the highs and lows of doing life surrounded by a wonderful array of people.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.hopespringcommunity.org
- Instagram: Hopespringcommunity
- Facebook: Hope Spring Community
Image Credits
Space Pictures by Trey Moore Photography
Head shots by Black Cat Studio
